PILTOWN’s Nicki Russell will remember the 2019 Dublin Horse Show for some time as she won Saturday’s Irish Thoroughbred Marketing racehorse to riding horse class at the third attempt on Sizing Australia having stood bottom of the line-up with the bay for the past two years.

“He just seems to be in right old form this year and is ticking all the boxes with the judges,” said Russell who was gifted the now 17-year-old New Frontier gelding by his former trainer, Henry de Bromhead, who had saddled him to win six races on track in the colours of the late Alan and Ann Potts.

Last year’s winner of the class, Don Cossack, was an early departure from Ring 1 as was Black Apalachi. The remainder were much better behaved in the original line-up (which was headed by the veteran Mossbank) than has previously been the case. And that in spite of some very heavy rain showers and strong gusts of wind which could well have upset them.

Top National Hunt jockey and former event rider Rachael Blackmore gave all the horses a good ride and trainer Noel Meade could have been buying the horses he scrutinised them so closely. However, the need for a show judge (even just for guidance) was apparent as a new line-up was formed which spectators were advised by Racing TV’s Bernard Condren (back home for his annual holiday) was not necessarily the final one.

Cheers

Russell’s supporters must not have heard this as they began cheering when she was called in first but it all worked out well in the end as the champion’s sash was draped around the neck of Sizing Australia while trainer Michael Halford, making his Dublin debut, stood reserve on his wife Louise’s Certerach. Halford used to train this now 11-year-old Halling gelding for Castlewellan owner Paul Rooney.

While the class is often criticised for favouring big name horses, it was good to note that three qualifiers – Dantes King, The Amarillo Kid and Adsup – finished fourth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Sizing Australia, who was bred in Co Cork by James Linnane, was supreme ridden champion at the new Show of the East early in the season when he went through to the final judging as champion riding horse. On the opening day of the Dublin Horse Show he finished third in the large riding horse class, a result which really delighted his owner/rider.

“I wasn’t going to come back here this year but, with encouragement from my husband Liam, I decided to give it a go again,” said Russell who works part-time in Kildalton as an equine lecturer and is a freelance coach.

“All I really wanted was a Dublin rosette and, when I got one on Wednesday, I was thinking of bringing him home. However, I convinced myself to have one more try and now I am delighted that I did.

“As he has been in such good form this year, I decided to strike while the iron is hot and we are going to the Retraining of Racehorses show in Aintree at the end of the month.”

Russell, who will be travelling without husband Liam and six-year-old daughter Lucy, has qualified Sizing Australia for the veterans’ class but plans to take part in other classes as well.